Question of the Week: 15 - 11/13/2000What are YOU Thankful For?As we get together with family and friends at this time of the year (and at every time of the year), which people do you want to thank for making a meaningful difference in your life? (Why not surprise someone and thank him/her/them publicly right now and right here?) What lessons that came your way turned out to be blessings in disguise? How do you demonstrate your gratitude to the Earth and/or to your Gods/Ancestors for their continuing guidance and blessings?

My greatest thanks would have to go out to my closest friend/ witch sister and her parents. They have been a sort of a second family to me, especially around this time of the year. My parents and I live on opposite sides of the country, and I can never make it to their place for Thanksgiving. So to my "surrogate" parents and sister, a great blessed THANK YOU.

To my other "sisters"- they are no farther away from my hearts. I feel the blessings of their friendship and our shared experiences everyday. Thank you all and bright blessings to them.

To my parents and brothers- growing up as a military family, they were the only blood ties that I have known most of my life. For them, my love and my grateful prayers. I miss you all!!

And finally, to the Gods and Goddesses that walk with my in my life- I feel your love and strength, in good times and in bad. One of the greatest joys that I have felt from them have been the early morning walks to work. Even though I have to get up before 5 in the morning to get to work by 6 a.m., once I walk out the door work is the farthest thing from my mind. At least four times a week I get to see the Mother waking up, get to see Her creatures and to recoginize the patterns of the stars and the moon. This early morning commune is indeed a beautiful gift in disguise.

It's the most wonderful time of the year for some, but for myself, it is Samhain, the time when I reflect on my life, my studies, myself and see the results of past resolutions, or their failures, and make amends.Ê Samhain is the Celtic new year, the time when the Lord dies (the Sun) and the world is dark until His re-birth in the Spring (Beltain).Ê It is a very introspective time for the witch, a continual time of emotional harvest, finding my crops and my fallows and acting accordingly. Ê This year, as in many years before, there are more fallows than crops.Ê I am going to change this.Ê Now, as with New Year's resolutions, these are promises made to self; these are promises often broken.Ê This year, this dawning of a new millenium, I am making a vow to self, a vow to change the stagnating patterns and free myself from chains which have bound my soul for five years time.Ê I have been inspired to hunt down my freedom, to seek out happiness, love, trust, faith.Ê These words are intangibles, and, therefore, my mind has thought them unattainable.Ê My heart and soul know better.Ê They have hungered, and now they will feast or perish. Ê I still have will enough to take on the challenge of the hunt, to make my life better.Ê With the vow I will bind it too myself, weld it to my soul with a fire hot enough to make metal liquid, re-shaping self in my image.Ê I need this.Ê So mote it be!Each year I make a list of what I am thankful for, what things have set themselves apart in twelve months time in my mind and my heart's eye.Ê Here are a few of them.ÊI am most thankful for:

The blessings the Goddess and God have chosen to bestow on me, my new eyes, my full heart, my search for knowledgeSnow diamonds, crystals of dry snow that blow through the air on the wind, glittering and shimmering in the sunLeaves which do much the same thing in a shower of gold, russet, cadmium, and rubyFriends who know just what to say and how to say itSharing food with those peopleGiving time and energy to those people less fortunate, those who hunger so much that a simple bowl of soup is a feastChristmas carolersChildren's eyes, how they light up when one lights up the Christmas treeAweBeing humbledMoments of peace, proving that it is still possibleNapsCinnamonFamily feeling the genuine gravity of their kin, not out of obligation, but out of wantLong distance telephone servicePassion, Inspiration, LoveComing home to a warm house after workEating outCats purring at your arrival, the purest instance of unconditional love...dogs do it tooMusic, being able to make musicBeing able to read, and understand, feeling an image, poetry, fiction, science, philosophy, religion--booksCreating images out of words, simple arrangements of letters that can communicate thought, love, wonderment, detail, hopeComplications, letting me know I am still aliveBreathing, seeing breath as a tangible entity on a frosty morningSunrise, sunset, stars, and other celestial phenomenonMaking connections with people, touchstones, illuminating dark recesses with love's lightKnowing someone inside and out, having someone who knows you that wellCounting blessings, and having enough to know that I could keep on countingHave a blessed holiday.

I Am Thankful For Two Wonderful Girls, A Great Husband And That...

Nov 23rd. at 11:33:54 am EST

Willowwynde (Cincinnati, Ohio US)

Age: 26

I am thankful for two wonderful girls, a great husband and that we are all healthy. I am thankful for the great opportunity I have had over the past several years to know my husband's grandmother. From her I learned to look at life with more joy. She passed on this year. We still feel her light and positive spirit. I am also thankful for the Druid group I met recently. They have welcomed us in and are fast becoming close friends. I thank the God and Goddess that I live in a country were I believe in whatever I want to.

I Have Been Blessed With Many Wonderful Tidings This Year. Learned Some...

I have been blessed with many wonderful tidings this year. Learned some tough lessons as well. But all have worked out for the greater good and I have no regrets.

Thanks to the Witches' Voice, I have joined the most fabulous coven, met a new love and hooked up with some really great key pals all over the world. My covenmates are the most wonderful women I could ever hope to step into circle with and the other witches I've met through the Voice have been sources of great comfort and support. My new man is truly my soul mate and I love him more than anything. There is no doubt in my mind that all these people were sent to me for reasons reaching beyond the physical realm.

And the lessons I've learned: to not make rash decisions, to have faith in myself, to know that I am worthy of love, to manifest all my hopes and dreams.

These have all been gifts from the God and Goddess and I don't take any of them for granted.

I Have Been Through Some Very Hairy And Life-changing Events Over The...

I have been through some very hairy and life-changing events over the past couple of years and am just now coming around to the point I can be grateful that I was being watched over and that the changes are for the good. I am thankful that I have that Supreme Being gently guiding me when necessary and that I've been intelligent enough to stop whining and understand the goodness of the changes. I am very fortunate to have loving family and friends, even though we're not all as physically close as we'd like, the connection is there, the love is there. I am very thankful for my good health, the wonderful gift we've all been given of this universe and all its treasures and, as a way of expressing that thanks, I will re-start my pagan studies & do the good thing. Happy Thanksgiving to all, Merry Part.

Life In All It's Glory Teaches Many Things. I'm Thankfull For The...

Nov 23rd. at 10:02:26 am EST

Arrow (Pelion, South Carolina US)

Age: 33

Life in all it's glory teaches many things.I'm thankfull for the breath I breathe, for thefire that lights my body, for the peace thatbalances my soul. I'm thankfull for the Gods,who have asked for everything this year and,have given me myself as my reward. I'm thanfullfor the obvious physical things that I have beengifted with, and the not so obvious. I'm thankfullthat the wheel continues to turn, and that I continueto learn. I'm thankfull for my pagan family,no matter where we may be, they continue to be aconnection for me, I show my thankfulness by tryingto be worthy of the trust they have in me.

Merry Meet....i'm Thankful For The Fact That Just Before Samhain Of...

Nov 23rd. at 8:29:35 am EST

Crystal Stone (Hammonton, New Jersey US)

Age: 43

Merry Meet....I'm Thankful for the fact that just before Samhain of last year, (1999), I, unexpectantly, discovered (*remembered*!)what 'I' 'am'..........I'm a witch, in my SOUL! From the inside out....no......I hadn't done any rituals......cast any circles......conjoured up any spells........but my 20 year sojourn left me 'kind of' content, due to the fact that 'living and letting live' without judgement of others just gives you that 'warm and fuzzy' feeling that enables you to deal with life in an 'inner' productive manner.....at peace. The only thing was........I felt that there was nothing to 'round it all up'.Nothing that put it all together for me.......until I did a search on the net for halloween decorations and activities......I immediately pulled up a chart for the moment of my realization. I walked on air for days....that is.....when I wasn't jumping for joy in it!!!!!!Although I will, without a doubt, be a Solidary, it feels wonderful to know *where* I *belong*, finally!!!!!!I want to scream and shout to The Goddess......"Honey!........I'M HOOOOOME!!!!"Blessed Be,and Merry Part!!!

Brightest Blessings To All Who Read This. I Think About What I...

Nov 22nd. at 10:52:34 pm EST

Kazul (Mohawk, New York US)

Age: 28

Brightest Blessings to all who read this. I think about what I have to be thankful for every day, and light a candle every night and recite my blessings, giving thanks where it is deserved. I am thankful for a functioning body, even if it feels a bit rusty now and again at the joints. :-) I am thankful for the love I receive in so many ways from so many people who drift in and out of my life, and those who tend to stick around a bit longer. I am also thankful for the people who have been in my life who have shown me nothing but hatred and disgust. It reminds me that not everyone who enters my life should stay there. I am thankful for a warm house to live in, with food on the table and clothes on my back. I am thankful, also, for knowing what's it like to not have a house to live in, and no clothes and no food. It helps to remind me that others are aren't quite as lucky as I have been. I am thankful for knowing my family and my ancestry. It reminds me that there are those who are alone and those who do not know where their history. I am thankful for the love of the Gods and Goddesses, without whom I would be lost in this universe, blindly searching for the Light. And I am thankful to Wren and Fritz, and other like them, for their untiring dedication to our community. And to all of you who are reading this now, thanks to you too. :-) For everything you do to gather the Light, and for all of the untold acts of kindness you perform every day. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Blessed Be.

I Want To Give Thanks To The Little Girl I Discovered Deep...

Nov 22nd. at 10:26:26 pm EST

Whisperwind (Tacoma, Washington US)

Age: 33

I want to give thanks to the little girl I discovered deep inside of me. All these years I have ignored her, trying to play the grown up and making myself miserable in the process. But this little girl has patiently waited for me to listen to her and finally I am starting to come around. As I listen to her whispers I begin to understand why it is that I am afraid. I hope that by nuturing her and trusting in her we will form an alliance and I will begin to place trust in the people who are close to me. Thanks go out to Chris, Jess, Alex, Ben, Dan and Emily. I need you all.

I Am Thankful For So Much .... For My Wonderful Husband, Whose Importance...

Nov 22nd. at 7:44:27 pm EST

ArtemisR (Rising Sun, Maryland US)

Age: 28

I am thankful for so much ....

For my wonderful husband, whose importance in my life words cannot describe..For my friends, who mean so much..For my two furry surrogate children..For my families..For having come so far from a difficult childhood..For learning lessons from those that have passed over and those that are still here..That Mum is still here...That I have a strong, healthy body (that still has opportunities for improvement)..For my job, and its challenges, welcomed and unwelcomed..For the learning I experience every day of my life..That I am a pagan - that I finally have a word to describe that part of me..For aging - sounds funny, but I really enjoy the growths and changes in my mind, body and spirit, and there are many who will never grow older in this life.

For joy!

I could go on and on, but those are the highlights. We are having a rough year and I remind myself regularly that as hard as it seems, we have so much more than most.

Blessed be!

I Am Thankful That The Goddess Picked Me Up By The Scruff...

Nov 22nd. at 7:42:44 pm EST

Lady Enid Muse (Cleveland, Ohio US)

Age: 42

I am thankful that the Goddess picked me up by the scruff of my neck, cradled me in her arms, and whispered "You are mine."

Thankfulness... Just As We Say "good Morning" To People As Rote, Are...

Just as we say "Good Morning" to people as rote, are we really ever aware of what, exactly, our thanks are being offered?

I have very recently given much thought to ALL the myriad of things in my life for which this individual should be and IS extremely thankful.

Without going into painful detail, I have a loving, supportive life partner---and her family, which is now MY family. Whoever said love is what truly makes a family must've known my partner's, because they took me in and never looked back.

And, as always, our 5 fuzzy babies (altho they are hardly babies anymore---but Moms will ever regard them as such, you know!

I am truly blessed at having come back to who I have been in discovering my Witch-ness(for want of a better term---and, besides---I LIKE THAT WORD :)!!!) Mother and Father and ArchAngel Gabrielle are all a part of me.

Of material accoutrements, I have much. And, I won't say false, I LIKE my possesions. But, in my 'old age', I am coming to know all the beauty, love and true blessings of 'possesions' one could never put a price on, nor estimate the value in worldly terms.

So, when I think on this time of thanksgiving, my mind and heart will turn to all the true riches of mine right here at hand (and, thank Mother and Father) and at our table.

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